| Decalcomania refers to the action of transferring patterns printed on one surface to another. This is generally done with the aid of water or heat. The dictionary explains it as “the fad of transferring tracings.” The art of peel-off tattoos is a type of decalcomania. Decalcomania is colloquially and conveniently known as ‘decal’.
Decal papers are glossy or semi-glossy papers, mainly used for printers, pre-dominantly Inkjet printers. While printing, it is common to find settings like Premium Glossy Photo Paper, Premium Semi, etc. These refer to the type of paper. Glossy paper tends to absorb very little ink as compared to regular paper. Hence, the settings control the amount of ink that would settle on the paper. On a decal, the ink takes long to dry. There could also be an instance where the printout might come out very well, but one may notice that the ink beads up on the paper after a while. One can use a hair dryer on decal paper to make the ink dry faster and immediately spray a fixative the moment the ink dries.
Being glossy or semi-glossy, decal papers do not absorb the ink quite so easily and, hence, the ink is likely to smear. The spraying of a fixative protects the ink and prevents it from smearing. The two types of decal papers are white decal paper and transparent decal paper. Decal papers differ for Inkjet and Laser printers. One can find excellent results for photographs printed on decal paper. Nowadays, decal papers are available for making tattoos at home too. One can print patterns on decal tattoo papers and then transfer the tattoo on to the skin. |
